1. Field of the Disclosed Subject Matter
The disclosed subject matter relates to an entrance floor system for use in residential or commercial establishments. Particularly, the present disclosed subject matter is directed to a modular entrance floor system comprising a plurality of floor sections and a method for interchanging select floor sections.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of flooring designs and construction methods are known for entrance ways to office buildings, stores, residences and the like which are frequently provided with gratings which are recessed into the foundation so as to be flush with the floor surface. These gratings are designed to facilitate the removal of debris, such as dirt, snow, water and the like from the footwear of pedestrian traffic entering the structure.
Typical forms of such entrance gratings comprise a plurality of elongated rigid rails arranged in side-by-side, parallel relationship. These rails are generally rectangular and sized to extend large distances, and in some embodiments, over the entire entrance floor area such that a single grate can span the entire entrance floor area. The size and weight of such large gratings presents numerous problems with respect to installation and maintenance as handling of such cumbersome gratings can prove hazardous and require assistance by numerous service personnel. An example of such prior art designs is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,253 which is hereby incorporated by reference, in its entirety.
Alternative prior art floor structures are configured as a roll-up design in which rails are joined or interconnected to adjacent rails by a flexible hinge member. Similar to the prior art designs discussed above, these roll-up mats are typically elongated rigid rails arranged parallel to each other and extend over the entire entrance floor area. Consequently, these roll-up designs are prone to the same installation and maintenance problems referred to above. An example of such a roll-up floor mat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,029,834 and 4,877,672 which are hereby incorporated by reference, in their entirety.
Floor mats are also known which are directly supported by a floor surface and may either be placed directly thereon or in a slight recess. While floor mats are typically made of lighter materials and may be of a smaller size than metal gratings discussed above, such floor mats require more frequent cleaning than the previously described grill and grating systems because less space is provided for the accumulation of foreign material. The capacity of such a floor mat to accumulate foreign material is generally limited by the amounts which may be retained in the tread material. As these spaces fill with dirt or become saturated with water, the floor mat tends to lose its ability to clean the footwear of pedestrians passing across the mat. Also, the tread surfaces of such floor mats are generally not replaceable and lack the strength and durability of rigid rails.
The prior art entrance floor designs typically span an area ranging from approximately three square feet and greater. However, pedestrian traffic tends to be concentrated to a narrow strip, e.g., the strip of entrance flooring aligned with a doorway, thereby resulting in uneven usage and accumulation of debris across the entrance floor area. The prior art designs do not allow a custodian to access and/or replace only a portion of the entrance floor area. Instead, the entire floor area must be removed in order to collect the debris. Such a configuration leads to greater complexity and higher maintenance time and associated costs. Additionally, the prior art entrance floor designs may not provide sufficient free or “fall-through” area in the top surface for which debris may pass through. Thus, the top surface of the entrance floor may retain water and/or debris resulting in a slick surface which poses a safety hazard to pedestrians.
While these prior art designs have been effective for their intended purpose, there remains a need for an entrance floor system which can be custom designed to a particular size and/or shape having a modular design which allows for independent installation and removal of each floor module or section. Further, an entrance floor system which allows for a variety of surface floor features and aesthetics is desired to provide greater flexibility and customization for a variety of architectures and entrance appearances.